Written Answers

Thursday 27 July 2000

Scottish Executive

Diabetes

Nora Radcliffe (Gordon) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-8058 by Susan Deacon on 29 June 2000, when it expects all health boards to have established a register of patients with diabetes.

Susan Deacon: There are diabetes registers in all health boards although some registers include only those patients seen by specialist diabetic services. The Scottish Executive is working to ensure that all local registers are improved in terms of coverage and completeness. Guidance on registers is due to be issued later this year.

Finance

David McLetchie (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the decision on the allocation of the £73 million 1999-2000 end-year balance placed in reserve for this year was made by the Minister for Finance alone or agreed by the whole Cabinet.

Donald Dewar: It is already a matter of record that the decision was taken by the Scottish Cabinet. The Executive operates on the basis of collective responsibility and details on the internal process through which this or any other decision is made are not disclosed (reference paragraph 2.2 of the Scottish Ministerial Code ).

Finance

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how Scotland’s share of the Spending Review 2000 increases announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer were calculated.

Mr Jack McConnell: The increases in Scotland’s budget were calculated in line with the funding arrangements set out in the Statement for Funding Policy . A revised version of this was published by HM Treasury on 18 July 2000. A copy of the publication can be found on the HM Treasury Internet site at www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/pdf/2000/sfp4.pdf.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many additional intensive therapy unit (ITU) beds are proposed in response to the additional ITU funding.

Susan Deacon: The exact number is not yet known. In preparing their plans, health boards and Trusts have been asked to take account of the work of the short-life group which the Chief Medical Officer has established to look at ITU and HDU issues. Its report is expected in the early autumn.

Health

Alex Fergusson (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any of the hypothecated tobacco tax funding will be available to local authorities for drug and alcohol related services.

Susan Deacon: I shall be announcing my decisions shortly in the light of the views expressed at the Healthy Scotland Convention on 3 July.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-7563 by Susan Deacon on 22 June 2000, why it will take two years to publish the results of the Scottish Health Survey carried out in 1998.

Susan Deacon: The Scottish Health Survey is the major national survey of the health of the Scottish population within the 2-74 age group. It involves the gathering of health-related data from almost 13,000 members of the Scottish public.

  The fieldwork for the 1998 survey, which commenced in April 1998, was completed in May 1999 and took the form of individual interviews and separate nurse visits for the purpose of blood pressure and other measurements and collection of blood and saliva samples. The resultant extensive and complex data have been subject to rigorous evaluation and analysis to ensure the validity and quality of the survey outcome and report, a task which is essential to set within an appropriate time frame.

Health

Nora Radcliffe (Gordon) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken, or intends to take, in response to the advice given by the UK National Screening Committee in December 1999 that a national programme of universal neonatal hearing screening should be introduced.

Nora Radcliffe (Gordon) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to introduce a programme of universal neonatal hearing screening.

Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive welcomes the advice from the UK National Screening Committee on Neonatal Hearing Screening. A comprehensive review of the implications associated with implementing a phased screening programme has been commissioned from the National Co-ordinator of the Scottish Screening Programmes and the Medical Director of the National Services Division. I await the findings of the review, which should be available by March 2001.

NHS Equipment

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many defibrillators are currently operated by the NHS and how many are available in public places.

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to extend the availability of defibrillators throughout Scotland, particularly in public places.

Susan Deacon: Information on the exact number of defibrillators in use in the NHS in Scotland is not available centrally, but all clinical areas have immediate access to them. All accident and emergency ambulances operated by the Scottish Ambulance Service carry defibrillators and there are others in operational support vehicles. General practitioners also have access to defibrillators, especially those involved in immediate care schemes.

  None of these is available in public places for use by trained members of the public. The Coronary Heart Disease Task Force is looking into this issue and will be providing advice to the Scottish Executive.

NHS Staff

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive,  further to the answer to question S1W-7005 by Susan Deacon on 22 June 2000, how many (a) paediatrics, (b) child and adolescent psychiatry, (c) paediatric surgery and (d) community child health consultants are currently employed in each health board area, and what the recommended staffing level is for each of these specialities in each health board area and for Scotland as a whole.

Susan Deacon: A detailed breakdown of the whole time equivalent of consultants in post for the selected specialties by health board area is shown in the attached table. The table should be read in conjunction with the notes below.

  Assessment of staffing requirements is a matter for individual NHS boards and Trusts. It is for them to determine, based on their Health Improvement Programmes (HIPs) and Trust Implementation Plans (TIPs), the number and type of staff required to deliver an appropriate level of service to meet local patient needs and to organise staff resources accordingly.

  Consultants in post in selected specialties by health board. Whole time equivalent (WTE) at 30 September 1999.

  

 

(a)
Paediatrics 


(b)
Child & adolescent 
psychiatry 


(c)
Paediatric surgery 


(d)
Community child 
health 


Totals 




Scotland 


92.3 


43.9 


11.6 


30.3 


178.1 




Argyll and Clyde 


6.0 


3.7 


0.0 


2.0 


11.7 




Ayrshire and Arran 


5.0 


1.0 


0.0 


2.0 


8.0 




Borders 


3.0 


1.2 


0.0 


0.0 


4.2 




Dumfries and Galloway 


3.0 


0.5 


0.0 


1.8 


5.3 




Fife 


3.0 


3.0 


0.0 


1.0 


7.0 




Forth Valley 


3.0 


3.0 


0.0 


1.0 


7.0 




Grampian 


10.9 


5.3 


2.0 


3.7 


21.9 




Greater Glasgow 


21.6 


11.2 


6.3 


7.0 


46.1 




Highland 


3.0 


1.7 


0.0 


2.0 


6.7 




Lanarkshire 


3.0 


3.0 


0.0 


0.0 


6.0 




Lothian 


18.9 


5.6 


3.3 


7.8 


35.6 




Orkney  


0.0 


0.0 


0.0 


0.0 


0.0 




Shetland 


0.0 


0.0 


0.0 


1.0 


1.0 




Tayside 


10.8 


4.6 


0.0 


1.0 


16.5 




Western Isles 


1.0 


0.0 


0.0 


0.0 


1.0 




  Source: Medical and Dental Manpower Census, ISD Scotland.

  Notes:

  1. The data is based on the census at 30 September 1999 and is the latest available.